Starting on February 27th, this innovative and
immersive studio-based programme is all about transitioning participants into
an IT role quickly. And that’s not necessarily a role in the IT sector, because
IT careers exist across the board, from agri-business to zoology and everything
in between.
Shift is designed for those who already have a degree - that could be in anything, arts, humanities, sciences or engineering. It’s the perfect vehicle for those looking for a career change, or returning to the workplace – and with IT booming, it’s the ideal time to be looking to an IT role for employment.
To make the move easy, there are Shift scholarships available valued at $2,500 each.
As a full-time programme running from the end of February to the end of October, Shift has two streams, a Software Development stream for those wanting to focus on programming and a Development Allied Roles stream for those wanting to focus on other areas, be it testing, user experience or technical writing as a few examples.
Shift begins with a fundamentals course that introduces the breadth of the IT industry and career opportunities, frames the professional standards of IT and industry, introduces Agile and Design thinking. Industry visits and guest speakers are an integral part of this first course.
The immersive studio comes next. Working in small teams on real world and real world inspired problems in a variety of different roles, students will be hands-on learning by doing. Seminars and workshops with academics, domain and industry experts will provide deep learning in technical skills areas but also many of the essential skills related to communication, teamwork and innovation. Reflection during the studio course encourages students to think about the direction they want to take in IT and influences their choices for the Industry placement.
In the second half of Shift, students undertake an Industry project, placement or internship and can take two courses from any of the five SIGNAL partner institutions: Ara Institute of Canterbury, Lincoln University, Otago Polytechnic, the University of Canterbury and the University of Otago.
Students will graduate with a Graduate Diploma.
Shift will be on offer at the new SIGNAL sites at 123 Vogel St, Dunedin (led by University of Otago), and will be also be offered at SIGNAL’s Christchurch site in the Innovation Precinct (led by Ara Institute of Canterbury).
Find out more about the Shift programme at http://signal.ac.nz/programmes/shift/ or email info@signal.ac.nz
